Organ Donation Should be Compulsory (ethical, death, state, religion)
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The Jahi McMath case (https://www.npr.org/2018/06/29/62464...n-death-has-di) got me thinking about organ donation. Currently, we leave the decision regarding organ donation up to the individual or the individual's family. I believe this is unethical.
The importance of respecting the family's wishes (or the individual's) regarding a dead body with usable organs does not outweigh the importance of actually saving the lives of living humans who need those organs. This simple utilitarian argument seems indisputable, at least on utilitarian grounds.
Let's say you aren't a utilitarian, however. It seems the main argument one might make against my reasoning is that the individual or the family have some sort of "ownership" of the organs, at least in the sense that they should be able to dictate what happens to them. But I don't think this is true. First, let's start with the individual. That individual no longer exists. It doesn't seem cogent to say that a person who no longer exists owns his or her organs. A dead person doesn't own anything. I also think it's very problematic to say that the family owns the organs. We don't recognize any sort of familial ownership of organs during life, so why does this suddenly begin at death?
It seems to me that compulsory organ donation would clearly save lives, and this benefit outweighs any harm that might be caused by denying family members the right to reject such donations. I can't see why we don't currently require organ donation in all cases in which the organs are viable.
What happens to a person's organs after passing is not a concern of you or society.
I think it is because they have the potential to save many lives.
If they aren't a concert of mine or society's, whose "concern" are they? The individual doesn't exist anymore. Why should a family be able to prevent a person from having a life saving transplant simply because they want their dead relative to be buried with perfectly functional organs?
No - not compulsory....but I would go for donation being the default. You should be made aware when you get/renew your driver's license that you by default are approving that you are a donor and that you must say otherwise if you don't want to.
You do know that family can trump that decision though - that often happens on the deathbed.
Mandatory, no. A person has the right to their own body, even after death.
How does a person who doesn't even exist have rights?
Rights stem from having interests. Interests stem from one's potential for good experiences and bad experiences. I have rights because there are things you could do to me that would make my life go badly. Dead people have no interests because they have no experiences. You can't do anything to a dead body that will make it have good experiences or bad experiences.
To say that a dead body has rights is as silly as saying a rock or a pile of soil has rights. All of those things are nothing more than a collection of matter.
No - not compulsory....but I would go for donation being the default. You should be made aware when you get/renew your driver's license that you by default are approving that you are a donor and that you must say otherwise if you don't want to.
You do know that family can trump that decision though - that often happens on the deathbed.
Why should it not be compulsory? What do you think is more important: A dead person's wishes about their body (after death) are respected, or a living person gets to live rather than die because they receive a transplant?
What happens to a person's organs after passing is not a concern of you or society.
Quite right and succinct as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost
I think it is because they have the potential to save many lives.
If they aren't a concert of mine or society's, whose "concern" are they? The individual doesn't exist anymore. Why should a family be able to prevent a person from having a life saving transplant simply because they want their dead relative to be buried with perfectly functional organs?
Please.Stop.
We, the people, have enough "compulsory" in our every single daily lives, far too many to elaborate on.
Down our throats and up our nether regions.
No, absolutely not. My body while I am alive and my body to dictate as I please after I am no longer on this earthly plane.
However, I will say great thread for stirring controversy, if it comes to that.
I think that the term 'mandatory' would turn people off.
Ideally, it would be nice to see organ donation as the default for everyone with an option to opt out if they have an objection to it. I think that it would go a long way towards helping with the serious shortage of donor organs that are needed.
Organ donation is generally accepted by the majority of religions and honestly, I don't care what they take after I'm dead if it can help someone else out.
When I was 18, a friend of mine was killed in a motorcycle accident She had indicated that she wanted to be an organ donor and her mother gave permission. Multiple individuals received organs. My friend's mother got to meet a couple of the organ recipients and while it didn't get rid of the grief of losing her daughter she grew very close to one of the recipients and ended up taking her on as a foster then adopting her.
I know that's not the usual way it goes but still there are many good reasons to donate.
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She had indicated that she wanted to be an organ donor and her mother gave permission. Multiple individuals received organs. My friend's mother got to meet a couple of the organ recipients and while it didn't get rid of the grief of losing her daughter she grew very close to one of the recipients and ended up taking her on as a foster then adopting her. 
